Chapter 17 Sleepless Nights
Dominic’s POV:
I should not be thinking about her like this.
That thought follows me all the way home after dinner at Eleanor’s apartment.
Unfortunately, it changes absolutely nothing.
Because the second I step into my penthouse, the only thing I can still feel is Alina beneath my hands.
The warmth of her waist.
The way her fingers curled against my shirt.
The look in her eyes right before Eleanor walked back in.
Jesus Christ.
I loosen my tie roughly while walking deeper into the apartment.
This is getting out of control.
I’ve handled billion-dollar negotiations without losing focus.
I’ve dealt with hostile board members, corporate attacks, and men twice my age trying to intimidate me.
But one look from Alina Hayes and suddenly I’m acting like a man who’s forgotten basic self-restraint.
I pour myself a drink.
Then another.
Neither helps.
Because the memory keeps replaying anyway.
The way she whispered my name.
The way she looked at my mouth.
The fact that for one reckless second, I almost kissed her inside her mother’s apartment.
My jaw tightens hard.
I should end this now before it destroys all three of us.
Instead, I pull out my phone.
Her contact stays open on the screen for several long seconds before I finally type:
You touched me back tonight.
I stare at the message after sending it.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Just truth.
Three dots appear almost immediately.
Then disappear.
Then appear again.
A slow smile almost pulls at my mouth.
She’s nervous.
Good.
Because I’m losing sleep over her too.
Finally, her reply comes through.
You almost kissed me in front of my mother.
Not denial.
Interesting.
I lean back against the kitchen counter before typing again.
You didn’t stop me.
This time the typing bubble stays longer.
Much longer.
When her answer finally appears, something shifts heavily inside my chest.
That’s what scares me.
I exhale slowly.
Because that sentence feels dangerously honest.
More honest than anything we’ve admitted so far.
Before I can respond again, another message appears.
We need boundaries.
I laugh quietly under my breath.
Boundaries.
That word stopped meaning anything the second I met her in that elevator.
Still, I type back anyway.
You believe that?
No response comes after that.
And somehow the silence says enough.
\---
The next morning starts badly.
Mostly because I barely sleep.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Alina looking up at me with parted lips and guilty eyes.
By six-thirty, I give up entirely and head to the office early.
Unfortunately, my father is already there.
Victor Vale stands near the conference windows with his usual expression of controlled disappointment.
“I heard dinner went well with Eleanor,” he says without turning around.
Straight to business.
As always.
“It was fine.”
He studies me carefully once he faces me. “You look tired.”
“Long week.”
“Mm.”
That single sound tells me he doesn’t believe me.
Victor walks toward the conference table slowly before placing a folder down.
“The merger contracts need final approval by next month.”
There it is.
The real reason behind the engagement.
Not love.
Not companionship.
Business.
A strategic alliance between two wealthy families.
Eleanor gets security and status.
Our company gets access to political investors tied to her late husband’s connections.
Simple.
Clean.
At least it was supposed to be.
“You’ll attend the charity gala with Eleanor this weekend,” my father continues. “The press will be there.”
“I’m aware.”
“And Dominic,” he says sharply, “I expect you to start acting more committed publicly.”
Something in his tone makes my attention sharpen immediately.
“What exactly does that mean?”
“It means rumors spread quickly.” His eyes narrow slightly. “You’ve seemed distracted lately.”
For half a second, my pulse actually pauses.
Impossible.
He can’t know.
Still, I keep my expression neutral. “I’ve been busy.”
“You’ve been careless.”
The accusation hangs heavily between us.
Victor studies me for a long moment before speaking again.
“You are marrying Eleanor because it benefits this family. Don’t lose focus over temporary distractions.”
My jaw tightens immediately.
Distractions.
If he knew the kind of distraction Alina had become, he’d lose his mind completely.
“Understood,” I say calmly.
Victor nods once. “Good.”
Then he leaves without another word.
The second the door shuts behind him, I loosen my tie again in frustration.
Because somehow hearing my relationship with Eleanor reduced to a business arrangement only makes this situation worse.
Not better.
\---
By afternoon, I’m trying very hard to focus on work.
Trying being the important word.
Because every few minutes, my thoughts drift right back to Alina.
I should stay away from her.
Instead, I open the security footage from the lobby camera connected to Eleanor’s building.
I stare at the screen for a full second after realizing what I just did.
Then lean back slowly in my chair.
This woman is genuinely turning me into someone concerning.
Still, I watch the footage anyway.
At exactly 1:17 PM, Alina walks through the lobby wearing fitted jeans and an oversized cream sweater with her hair pulled loosely over one shoulder.
And suddenly every thought in my head disappears.
She looks tired.
But beautiful.
Naturally beautiful in a way that doesn’t feel calculated.
No performance.
No pretending.
Just Alina.
I watch her disappear through the front entrance before shutting the footage off immediately.
Enough.
This obsession is becoming unhealthy.
My phone buzzes against the desk.
Sebastian Cole.
I answer reluctantly. “What?”
“Well, good afternoon to you too.”
“I’m working.”
“Tragic.” He pauses briefly. “I met your future stepdaughter yesterday.”
Every muscle in my body tightens instantly.
My voice stays calm anyway. “Did you?”
“She’s interesting.”
I already know that.
“She mentioned you.”
My grip tightens slightly around the phone. “What exactly did she say?”
Sebastian laughs softly like he notices the shift in my tone immediately.
“Relax. Mostly complaints.”
“That sounds accurate.”
“But you know what’s strange?”
I stay silent.
“She acts nervous every time your name comes up.”
Something dark and possessive twists slowly in my chest.
“She’s protective of her mother,” I say evenly.
“Maybe.”
The way he says it immediately irritates me.
Sebastian continues before I can respond.
“Still, I think she likes me.”
Absolutely not.
The reaction is instant and irrational.
And apparently obvious too because Sebastian suddenly laughs again.
“Oh, that’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“You sound jealous.”
“I’m not.”
“Right.”
My jaw tightens hard enough to hurt.
Sebastian has always enjoyed provoking people.
Unfortunately for him, today is not the day.
“Stay away from her,” I say coldly.
Silence.
Then slower this time, Sebastian says, “That’s a very intense response for your fiancée’s daughter.”
I close my eyes briefly.
Careless.
Too careless.
“You’re reading too much into it.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
Then finally he sighs dramatically. “Fine. But for the record, if she wasn’t connected to your family situation, I’d absolutely pursue her.”
Something ugly moves sharply through my chest at the thought.
Mine.
The instinct hits so suddenly it nearly unsettles me.
Not yours.
Mine.
Jesus Christ.
After the call ends, I sit there in silence for a long moment.
Because this is worse than attraction now.
Much worse.
Attraction fades eventually.
This doesn’t feel temporary.
It feels consuming.
And that realization should terrify me more than it does.
\---
That night, I try not to contact her.
I last exactly forty-three minutes.
By ten o’clock, I’m standing near the penthouse windows with my phone in my hand again.
Pathetic.
Still, I text her anyway.
Are you awake?
Her response comes surprisingly fast.
Unfortunately.
A small smile pulls at my mouth.
Can’t sleep either?
Several seconds pass before her answer appears.
Every time I close my eyes, I remember tonight.
My chest tightens instantly.
Because same.
Exactly the same.
I type slowly this time.
You looked at me like you wanted me to kiss you.
Long silence.
Then:
Dominic...
Just my name.
Nothing else.
And somehow that’s worse.
I stare at the message for a long moment before finally replying.
Tell me I imagined it.
This time her response takes forever.
So long that I think maybe she won’t answer at all.
Then finally:
You didn’t imagine it.
I close my eyes briefly.
Because there it is.
The truth neither of us can keep avoiding anymore.
And deep down, I already know something dangerous.
The more we try to fight this attraction...
The worse it’s becoming.